Klopp pleased with Dortmund spirit

Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp was pleased with his side’s gritty 3-1 win over Augsburg on Saturday.

A double from Robert Lewandowski, along with a strike from Marco Reus, allowed the Bundesliga champions to claim a victory at the SGL Arena, where they drew last year.

“This was a very tough job for us,” he told reporters after the match.

“In the first half, we created one real goal-scoring chance, we were not decisive enough and we were pressing less than our opponents. It was a very close game, and (goalkeeper Roman) Weidenfeller responded brilliantly to their chances.

“During the second half, we were more compact, won all the 50-50s and forced two goals. Then we finally controlled the match. Augsburg made a game of it, but victory was deserved.”

Meanwhile, Lewandowski admitted his side were made to work hard for the win, but was delighted with the final outcome.

“It was a difficult game, but we ended up with three points, which is the most important thing. And of course I’m happy that I scored twice,” he said.

“We had many problems with Augsburg in the first half, but the second period went better. The three points are really, really important.”

Borussia Dortmund are now fourth in the Bundesliga, still 11 points behind runaway leaders Bayern Munich.